Fire door closure reset system

ABSTRACT

A fire door closure reset system including a fire door movable between an opened position and a closed position relative to an opening through a wall; a lock for being pivotally attached relative to the wall for movement between a locked position and an unlocked position and for allowing the fire door to move to the closed position when in the unlocked position; a spring for urging the lock to the unlocked position; a cable having a first end for being attached to the lock and having a second end for being fixedly attached relative to the wall; the lock being held in the locked position when the cable is taut; the spring urging the lock to the unlocked position when slack is placed in the cable; occurrence responsive structure for placing slack in the cable in the event of a predetermined occurrence; and a test-reset mechanism for allowing the operation of the fire door closure reset system to be tested by placing slack in the cable and for allowing the slack in the cable to be subsequently removed after the operation of the fire door closure reset system is tested to reset the fire door closure reset system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is, in part, a substitute of U.S. application Ser. No. 7/715,405,filed Jun. 14, 1991, entitled "FIRE DOOR CLOSURE RESET SYSTEM," nowabandoned, which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.07/508,566, filed Apr. 13, 1990, entitled "FIRE DOOR CLOSURE SYSTEM,"now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention: The present invention relates, in general, toa system for closing fire doors that can be quickly and easily tested bymerely moving a test handle to a test position, and that can be quicklyand easily reset by merely moving the fire door back to an openedposition and moving the test handle back to a set position.

2. Information Disclosure Statement: Fire doors that close automaticallyin the event of a fire or other predetermined occurrence are well knownin the art. However, it is necessary to test such fire doors on aperiodic basis to insure that they will operate correctly in the eventof a fire or other predetermined occurrence. A long-standing problemwith such testing is the difficulty and time-consuming nature ofproperly re-setting such fire doors after a test. The known prior firedoor closure systems require substantial time, know-how, and skill torestring cables, reattach fusible links, etc., in order to reset thesystem after a test.

A preliminary patentablity search has been conducted in class 49,subclasses 7 and 8.

Frederick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,482, issued Aug. 27, 1968, andHemmerling, U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,562, issued Aug. 28, 1984, disclose firedoor closure systems that are heat responsive based on a fusible link toclose a fire door or allow a fire door to close in the event of a fire.Neither Frederick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,482, nor Hemmerling, U.S. Pat.No. 4,467,562, disclose a means to test and reset the system other thanmelting or releasing a fusible link.

Wescoat et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,310, issued Mar. 10, 1987, disclosesan apparatus for causing a curtain or the like to move to a closedposition in the event of a fire or the like. The Wescoat et al.apparatus includes a manual release arm for allowing the system to bemanually activated. However, once manually activated, substantial workand repair will be required to reset the system. Thus, for example, theglass face of a box would have to be replaced, and at least one workerwould most likely be required to properly position the manual releasearm and a plurality of linkage arms and the like while another workerproperly positioned the pull ring within the box, etc.

The present invention is directed toward providing a fire door closuresystem that can be tested by merely moving a test handle to a testposition, and that can be reset by merely moving the fire door back toan opened position and moving the test handle back to a set position.None of the above patents disclose or suggest a closure reset systemincluding a fire door movable between an opened position and a closedposition relative to an opening through a wall; lock means for beingpivotally attached relative to the wall for movement between a lockedposition and an unlocked position and for allowing the fire door to moveto the closed position when in the unlocked position; urging means forurging the lock means to the unlocked position; a cable having a firstend for being attached to the lock means and having a second end forbeing fixedly attached relative to the wall; the lock means being heldin the locked position when the cable is taut; the urging means urgingthe lock means to the unlocked position when slack is placed in thecable; occurrence responsive mean for placing slack in the cable in theevent of a predetermined occurrence; and test-reset means for allowingthe operation of the fire door closure reset system to be tested byplacing slack in the cable and for allowing the slack in the cable to besubsequently removed after the operation of the fire door closure resetsystem is tested to reset the fire door closure reset system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward providing an improved closurereset system for fire doors and the like. The concept of the presentinvention is to provide a closure system that allows the operation ofthe closure system to be easily tested, and that can be easily andquickly reset after being tested.

The closure reset system of the present invention includes, in general,a fire door movable between an opened position and a closed positionrelative to an opening through a wall; lock means for being pivotallyattached relative to the wall for movement between a locked position andan unlocked position and for allowing the fire door to move to theclosed position when in the unlocked position; urging means for urgingthe lock means to the unlocked position; a cable having a first end forbeing attached to the lock means and having a second end for beingfixedly attached relative to the wall; the lock means being held in thelocked position when the cable is taut; the urging means urging the lockmeans to the unlocked position when slack is placed in the cable;occurrence responsive means for placing slack in the cable in the eventof a predetermined occurrence; and test-reset means for allowing theoperation of the fire door closure reset system to be tested by placingslack in the cable and for allowing the slack in the cable to besubsequently removed after the operation of the fire door closure resetsystem is tested to reset the fire door closure reset system.

One objective of the present invention is to provide a closure resetsystem specifically designed to allow the closure reset system to bequickly and easily tested and easily and simply reset after a testthereof, etc.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fire doorclosure system that can be tested by merely moving a test handle to atest position, and that can be reset by merely moving the fire door backto an opened position, and moving the test handle back to a setposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a horizontally sliding firedoor with a first embodiment of the closure reset system of the presentinvention combined therewith.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view substantially as taken on line 2--2of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged and detailed view of a closure member andassociated structure of the first embodiment of the closure reset systemof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3 with portions thereof omitted forclarity.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view as taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a fuse link means of the firstembodiment of the closure reset system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view substantially as taken on line 7--7of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view substantially as taken on line,8--8 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the lock means of the firstembodiment of the closure reset system of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a somewhat diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 9, but withcertain components in a moved position.

FIG. 11 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevational view of a roll-upfire door with a second embodiment of the closure reset system of thepresent invention combined therewith.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view substantially as taken on line13--13 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of certain portions of thesecond embodiment of the closure reset system of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a right end view of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a somewhat diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 14 with certaincomponents in a moved position.

FIG. 17 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevational view of roll-upfire door with a third embodiment of the closure reset system of thepresent invention combined therewith.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view substantially as taken on line18--18 of FIG. 17 with certain portions thereof broken away for clarity.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 18 but with portions thereofshown in moved positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first preferred embodiment of the closure reset system of the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 1-10 and identified by the numeral 11.

The closure reset system 11 includes or is designed especially for usein combination with a fire door 13 (or a plurality of fire doors) thatis movably mounted on a wall 15 for selectively closing an opening 17through the wall 15.

The closure reset system 11 includes control means for controllingmovement of the fire door 13 from an opened position to a closedposition. The control means of the closure reset system 11 is movablebetween an opened position and a closed position and the fire door 13moves to the closed position when the control means moves to the closedposition.

The control means preferably includes means for mounting the fire door13 relative to the wall 15 in such a manner so that the fire door 13 canbe moved between the opened and closed position in a controlled manner.More specifically, the fire door 13 may be slidably mounted on the wall15 by various typical support track means and the like (not shown) wellknown to those skilled in the art for horizontal movement between aclosed position in which the opening 17 through the wall 15 is closedand an opened position in which the opening 17 through the wall 15 isopen, etc., as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Aprimary function of the closure reset system 11 is to forcefully closethe fire door 13 in the event of a fire or during a test of the closurereset system 11, and to allow the closure reset system 11 to be easilyreset thereafter.

The control means of the closure reset system 11 preferably includesclosure means for forcing the fire door 13 to the closed position. Theclosure means preferably includes a closure member 20 movable between anopened position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 and a closed positionas shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. The fire door 13 is allowed toremain in the opened position when the closure member 20 is in theopened position (or, typically, in any other position between fullyopened and fully closed as will now be apparent to those skilled in theart such as the partially opened position shown in FIG. 1) and is forcedto the closed position when the closure member 20 is moved to the closedposition.

The closure reset system 11 includes a continuous or endless belt, chainor cable means 21 for movement between an opened position and a closedposition and for being attached to the control means in such a mannerthat the control means will be prevented from moving from the openedposition to the closed position when the continuous cable means 21 islocked in the opened position and in such a manner that the controlmeans will be moved from the closed position to the opened position whenthe continuous cable means 21 is moved from the closed position to theopen position. The continuous cable means 21 is preferably held abovethe fire door 13 between a first end pulley 23 and a second end pulley25. The first end pulley 23 may be rotatably mounted to the wall 15 onone side of the opening 17 by a bracket 27. Likewise, the second endpulley 25 may be rotatably mounted to the wall 15 on the other side ofthe opening 17 by a bracket 29. A turn buckle 31 may be provided forallowing the length of the continuous cable means 21 to be adjusted aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure means preferably includes a closure cable 33 having a firstend 35 and a second end 37. The first end 35 of the closure cable 33 ispreferably attached to the closure member 20 The closure member 20 ispreferably attached to the continuous cable means 21. More specifically,the closure member 20 preferably includes a body member 38 with oppositeends of the cable means 2 securely attached thereto to make the cablemeans 21 continuous as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art,and with the first end 35 of the closure cable 33 securely attachedthereto as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

The control means is normally urged to the closed position. Thus, forexample, the closure reset system 11 preferably includes urging means 39for normally urging the control means to the closed position. Morespecifically, the urging means 39 is designed for normally urging theclosure member 20 to the closed position and for, thereby, normallyurging the fire door 13 to the closed position The urging means 39preferably includes spring reels, weights 41, or the like, coupled tothe second end 37 of the closure cable 33 for normally pulling theclosure cable 33 toward the left in FIG. 1 to, thereby, normally pullthe fire door 13, closure member 20 and the bottom run of the continuouscable means 21 toward the left in FIG. 1 in a manner as will hereinafterbecome apparent A catch bracket 43 is preferably fixedly attached to thetop of the fire door 13 as clearly shown in FIG. 8. The closure meanspreferably includes a closure lug 45 for being securely attached to thecontinuous cable means 21 in a position for engaging the catch bracket43 to force the fire door 13 to the closed position when the closuremember 20 is moved to the closed position as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. The closure lug 45 is preferably adjustable onthe cable means 21 to allow the closure of the fire door 13 to beadjusted as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. It shouldbe noted that when a pair of fire doors are to be controlled by thesystem 11, an additional closure lug may be fixedly coupled to the upperrun of the continuous cable means 21 for closing the additional firedoor as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. The catchbracket 43 is clearly shown in FIG. 8 and preferably includes anaperture 47 for allowing the lower run of the continuous cable means 21to extend therethrough. The closure lug 45 is sized so that it will notpass through the aperture 47 but will, rather, engage the catch bracket43 adjacent the aperture 47 to cause the catch bracket 43, and the firedoor 13, to move With the continuous cable means 21 as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 11 includes lock means 49 for being pivotallyattached relative to the wall 15 for movement between a locked positionand an unlocked position and for allowing the fire door 13 to move tothe closed position when the look means 49 is in the unlocked position.Thus, the lock means 49 preferably has a locked position for locking thecontinuous cable means 21 in the opened position, and has an unlockedposition for allowing the fire door 13 to move to the closed positionupon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

The lock means 49 preferably includes a first latch member or means 51for being fixedly attached relative to the continuous cable means 21 anda second latch member or means 53 for being attached relative to thewall 15. The second latch means 53 is movable between a first or lockedposition shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 in which the first latch means 51 can belocked thereto to hold the continuous cable means 21 in the openedposition, and a second or unlocked position shown in FIG. 10 in whichthe first latch means 5 is released or freed therefrom for allowing thecontinuous cable 21 to be moved to the closed position and for allowingthe urging means 39 to urge the control means to the closed position sothat the fire door 13 will move to the closed position. The first latchmeans 51 preferably includes a ring 55 fixedly attached to the end ofthe body member 38 opposite the closure cable 33 (see, in general, FIG.5). The ring 55 preferably has an aperture 57 or the like therein. Thesecond latch means 53 preferably includes a finger 59 that is pivotallyattached to an arm 61 through a pivot 63. The arm 61 is, in turn,fixedly attached to the bracket 27 which is fixedly attached to the wall15 whereby the finger 59 is pivotally attached to the wall 15 as willnow be apparent to those skilled in the art. The finger 59 has a tip 65for extending into the aperture 57 of the ring 55 of the first latchmeans 51 when the second latch means 53 is in the locked position andthe closure member 20 is in the opened position to lock the first latchmeans 51 thereto.

The lock means 49 preferably includes urging means 67 for urging thesecond latch means 53 to the unlocked position. The urging means 67preferably includes a spring 69 for normally holding the second latchmeans 53 in the unlocked position. The spring 69 may include a typicalcoil spring having a first end 71 attached to the finger 59 at aposition on the opposite side of the pivot 63 from the tip 65, andhaving a second end 73 attached to the arm 61 or the like whereby thesecond latch means 53 will be urged to the unlocked position as shown inFIG. 10 and as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 11 includes reset means for urging the secondlatch means 53 of the lock means 49 to the first position so that thefirst latch means 51 can be easily and quickly re-locked to the secondlatch means 53 for locking the continuous cable means 21 in the openedposition after the fire door 13 has moved to the closed position whenthe fire door 13 is subsequently moved back to the opened position(i.e., after the fire door 13 has moved to the closed position and hasbeen subsequently re-opened).

The reset means preferably includes holding means for normally holdingthe second latch means 53 in the locked position. The holding meanspreferably includes a cable means or cable 77 for holding the secondlatch means 53 in the locked position when substantially tight and forallowing the second latch means 53 to move to the unlocked position whenslack. The cable 77 has a first end 79 for being attached to the finger59 at a position on the opposite side of the pivot 63 from the tip 65,and has a second end 81 for being fixedly anchored by, for example,being attached to the wall 15 or the like so that when the cable 77 isheld substantially tight, the force of the spring 69 will be overcomeand the second latch means 53 will be held in the locked position aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 11 preferably includes trigger means forcausing the holding means to release the second latch means 53 tothereby allow the second latch means 53 to move to the unlocked positionand, in turn, force the fire door 13 to the closed position. The triggermeans may include a manual release means 85 mounted, for example, on thewall 15 adjacent the second end 81 of the cable 77 to allow a worker tomanually release the holding means by merely putting sufficient slack inthe cable 77 to allow the finger 59 to pivot to the unlocked positionand thereby force the fire door 13 to the closed position as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art. The manual release means 85 may beof various specific construction as will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art such as the Model A1-11-702-20 test handle made bySouthco Inc. of Concordville, Pa. 19331. Thus, the manual release means85 may include a handle H for being manually moved between a lowered orset position and a raised or test position, and a keeper K or the likefor being operatively coupled to the handle H and the cable 77 in such amanner that movement of the handle H to the raised position will placeslack in the cable 77 and movement of the handle H to the loweredposition will remove slack from the cable 77 as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

The closure reset means 11 includes occurrence responsive means forplacing slack in the cable 77 in the event of a predeterminedoccurrence. The occurrence responsive means is preferably part of thetrigger means and preferably includes at least one alarm means 87 suchas a fuse link means 89 for putting slack in the cable 77 in the eventof a fire or the like as will now be apparent to those skilled in theart. The fuse link means 89 may include a typical fuse link 91 having afirst end 93 fixedly attached to a first portion of the cable 77 andhaving a second end 95 fixedly attached to a second portion of the cable77 in a manner so that a loop 97 of the cable 77 is formed between thefirst and second ends 93, 95. The loop 97 is longer than the fuse link91 so that if the fuse link 91 melts in the event of a fire or otherwisebreaks, etc., the loop 97 will create sufficient slack in the cable 77to allow the finger 59 to pivot to the unlocked position and therebyforce the fire door 13 to the closed position as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. The trigger means preferably includes at leastthree such fuse link means 89. That is, the trigger means preferablyincludes a first fuse link means 89 positioned directly above theopening 17 through the wall 15 as shown in FIG. 1, a second fuse linkmeans (not shown) positioned on one side of the wall 15 adjacent theceiling, and a third fuse link means (not shown) positioned on the otherside of the wall 15 adjacent the ceiling.

The trigger means may also include a linear actuator release means ordevice 101 coupled to the second end 81 of the cable 77 for puttingsufficient slack in the cable 77 when activated to allow the finger 59to pivot to the unlocked position, and may also include a timer 103electrically coupled to the release device 101 for activating therelease device 101 at one or more preselected times. The linear actuatorrelease device 101 preferably includes a typical linear actuator such asthe Model 6Z087 linear actuator made by Dayton Electric Mfg., Co. ofChicago, Ill. 60048. A battery backup system is preferably coupled tothe linear actuator to allow operation thereof in the event of powerfailure. The battery backup system may include a float charger such asModel PSC-12500-F and a battery such as Model PS-1242, both made byPowersonic Corp. of Redwood City, Calif. The timer 103 may include anytypical timer well known to those skilled in the art such as the Daytonelectronic, 365-day, programmable, 2-circuit timer, Stock No. 5A687,manufactured by Dayton Electric Mfg., Co. of Chicago, Ill. 60048. Thetimer 103 thus allows the fire door 13 to be closed when desired andwithout requiring an operator by merely programming the timer 103 toactivate the release device 101 at various specific times such as atnight, on weekends, during holidays, etc., as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. It should be noted that a single timer 103could be electrically coupled to a plurality of linear actuator releasedevices 101 of a plurality of fire doors 13 so that a single timer 103could control a plurality of linear actuator release devices 101 as willnow be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 11 is specifically designed to allow the firedoor 13 to be quickly and easily opened and properly reset after a testthereof, etc. Thus, once the fire door 13 has been closed by the closurereset system 11 due to a test of the closure reset system 11 (e.g.,after the manual release means 85 has been activated to test the closurereset system by merely moving the test handle thereof to the test oropened position), or after circumstances have activated the alarm means87 (e.g., after a fire substantially adjacent the fuse link 91 or aftera brown out, etc.), or after the timer 103 has activated the releasedevice 101, the cable 77 is again tightened in a manner which will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art (i.e., the manual release means85 closed by merely moving the test handle thereof back to the set orclosed position, the fuse link 91 replaced, or the release device 101deactivated, etc.) to cause the finger 59 of the second latch means 53to move to the locked position (i.e., to urge the finger 59 to theposition shown in FIG. 9). Then, the fire door 13 can be merely moved,manually or otherwise, to the fully opened position which will causecatch bracket 43 to engage and push the closure lug 45 which will causethe continuous cable means 21 to rotate, moving the first latch means 51toward the second latch means 53 until the tip 65 of the finger 59catches the ring 55 to lock the closure member 20 in the opened positionas will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. The continuouscable means 21 will keep the closure member 20 in proper alignment withthe catch bracket 43 and lock means 49 as the closure means 20 movesbetween the opened and closed positions as will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The closure reset system 11 can be used to close acenter parting door or a single slide door with the same system and withone closure reel or one weight closure instead of two closure reels orweight closures typically required with center parting doors, etc., aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Operation of the closure reset system 11 is quite simple. With theclosure member 20 in the opened position, with the test-reset means inthe set position (e.g., with the handle H of the manual release means 85in the lowered position) and with the occurrence responsive means in aready-to-use condition (e.g., with the fuse link means 89, etc., in anormal, operation condition as will now be apparent to those skilled inthe art), the cable 77 will be held substantially tight or taut, thesecond latch member 53 will be held in the substantially vertical,locked positions, and the closure member 20 will be locked in the openedposition. To then test the closure reset system 13, a worker need onlymove the handle H of the manual release means 85 to the test or raisedposition whereby slack will be placed in the cable 77, allowing theurging means 67 to urge the second latch member 53 of the lock means 49to the unlocked position and, thereby, causing the closure member 20 tomove to the closed position to make sure the fire door 13 is closed. Tothen reset the closure reset system 11, the worker need only move theclosure member 20 back to the opened position and move the handle H ofthe manual release means 85 back to the set or lowered position tothereby remove slack from the cable 77 and, assuming the fuse link means89, etc., are in normal, operation conditions, cause the cable 77 to beheld substantially tight or taut, thereby locking the closure member 20in the opened position. It should be noted that the urging means 67 willhold the second latch member 53 in the unlocked position until the cable77 is held substantially tight or taut.

As thus constructed and used, the closure reset system 11 provides asystem that allows a fire door to be closed anytime it is desired tohave the door closed, even from a remote location, and provides a systemthat, with the use of limit switches and the like, allows a fire door tobe used, in normal day-to-day use, as a manual door that can be left inany position and could be closed automatically at night or any otherdesired time, that can be tied into an alarm system so that if any doorthat is supposed to be closed is not closed, an alarm is produced(either locally, or to a fire department, etc.), and/or that can providethe user with information that a certain door did not close the nightbefore, etc., so that appropriate service can be performed.

A second preferred embodiment of the closure reset system of the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 11-16 and identified by the numeral 2.11.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes or is designed especially for usein combination with a roll-up fire door 2.13 that is movably mounted ona wall 2.15 for selectively closing an opening 2.17 through the Wall2.15.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes control means for controllingmovement of the fire door 2.13 from an opened position to a closedposition. The control means of the closure reset system 2.11 is movablebetween an opened position and a closed position and the fire door 2.13moves to the closed position when the control means moves to the closedposition.

The control means preferably includes means for mounting the fire door2.13 relative to the wall 2.15 in such a manner so that the fire door2.13 can be moved between the opened and closed position in a controlledmanner. More specifically the fire door 2.13 may be rotatably mounted onthe wall 2.15 by an axle A that is, in turn, rotatably mounted on thewall 2.15 by various support brackets B or the like as clearly shown inFIGS. 11 and 12 for rotation movement between a closed position and anopened position to cause the fire door 2.13 to move between a closedposition as shown in broken lines in FIG. 11 in which the opening 2.17through the wall 2.15 is closed and an opened position as shown in solidlines in FIG. 11 in which the opening 2.17 through the wall 2.15 isopen, etc., as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Variouscover members and the like have been omitted from the drawings forclarity and are not necessary for operation of the closure reset system2.11. A primary function of the closure reset system 2.11 is to allowthe fire door 2.13 to close in the event of a fire or during a test ofthe closure reset system 2.11, and to allow the closure reset system2.11 to be easily reset thereafter.

The control means is normally urged to the closed position. Thus, thefire door 2.13 is preferably designed so that gravity will normallycause the fire door 2.13 to move to the closed position, causing theaxle A and related mechanisms to move to a closed position as will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art. The control means may includemeans such as spring means 2.20 coupled to the axle A for controllingthe rate at which gravity will cause the axle A to rotate from theopened position to the closed position and, in turn, cause the fire door2.13 to move from the opened position to the closed position. Morespecifically, the spring means 2.20 is preferably designed and set so asto allow gravity to slowly rotate the axle A and slowly move the firedoor 2.13 from the opened position to the closed position to preventdamage to the fire door 2.13 and/or adjacent structure and to preventinjury to persons or things within the opening 2.17 when the fire door2.13 moves from the opened to the closed position as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art. While the spring means 2.20 isshown diagrammatically in FIG. 11 as being mounted between the wall 2.15and the axle A, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thespring means 2.20 includes a helical twist spring located inside theaxle A, etc.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes lock means 2.49 for beingpivotally attached relative to the wall 2.15 for movement between alocked position and an unlocked position and for allowing the fire door2.13 to move to the closed position when the lock means 2.49 is in theunlocked position. The lock means 2.49 thus allows the fire door 2.13 tomove to the closed position upon the occurrence of a predetermined eventthat causes the lock means 2.49 to move from the locked position to theunlocked position.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes a continuous or endless cable orchain means 2.51 for movement between an opened position and a closedposition and for being attached to the control means in such a mannerthat the control means will be prevented from moving from the openedposition to the closed position when the endless chain 2.51 is locked inthe opened position and in such a manner that the endless chain 2.51will be moved from the closed position to the opened position when thecontrol means is moved from the opened position to the closed position.

The control means preferably includes a drive train 2.52 or the like(see FIGS. 11 and 12) for coupling the endless chain 2.51 to the axle Aso that rotation of the axle A will cause rotation of the endless chain2.51, so that movement of the endless chain 2.51 will cause rotation ofthe axle A, and so that preventing movement of the endless chain 2.51will prevent rotation of the axle A and, thus, prevent movement of thefire door 2.13. Therefore, the drive train 2.52 is preferably designedin such a way that if the endless chain 2.51 is locked in position sothat it cannot move, the axle A will also be prevented from rotation aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art. On the other hand, ifthe endless chain 2.51 is not locked in position, gravity will cause theaxle A to rotate, normally urging the control means to the closedposition and normally forcing the fire door 2.13 to the closed positionand causing the endless chain 2.51 to move in the direction as indicatedby the arrow C in FIGS. 11, 12, 14, and 16. Likewise, if the endlesschain 2.51 is not locked in position and the fire door 2.13 is in theclosed position, manual pressure can be applied thereto in the directionindicated by the arrow D in FIGS. 11, 12, 14, and 16 to cause the axle Ato rotate and move the fire door 2.13 back to the opened position aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art. This movement willalso "un-wind" the spring means 2.20 as will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The drive train 2.52 preferably includes a number ofsprockets, pulleys, gears, belts, or the like as somewhatdiagrammatically shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 to allow the force necessaryto apply to the endless chain 2.51 to prevent the fire door 2.13 frommoving from the opened position to the closed position or to move thefire door 2.13 from the closed position to the opened position to becontrolled as Will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. It willalso be apparent to those skilled in the art that the drive train 2.52can be designed so that the directions of the arrows C, D can bereversed.

The lock means 2.49 preferably includes a first latch means or memberfor being fixedly attached relative to the endless chain 2.51, and asecond latch means or member 2.53 for being attached relative to thewall 2.15. The endless chain 2.51 is preferably constructed of aplurality of link members joined end-to-end in any typical manner nowapparent to those skilled in the art and the first latch means ispreferably defined by or consists of a link member 2.55 of the endlesschain 2.51. Each link member 2.55 preferably has a slot 2.57 therein andthe second latch member 2.53 is designed so as to selectively engage theslot 2.57 of a link member 2.55 of the endless chain 2.51 to preventmovement of the endless chain 2.51, etc., as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Thus, the second latch member 2.53 is movablebetween a first or locked position shown in FIG. 14 in which the firstlatch means (i.e., the link member 2.55 of the endless chain 2.51) canbe locked thereto for locking the endless chain 2.51 in the openedposition and to prevent movement thereof, and a second or unlockedposition shown in FIG. 16 in which the first latch means (i.e., the linkmember 2.55 of the endless chain 2.51) is released therefrom forallowing the endless chain 2.51 to be moved to the closed position toallow the control means to be urged to the closed position so that thefire door 2.13 will move to the closed position. The second latch member2.53 preferably includes a finger 2.59 that is pivotally attached to asupport means 2.61 through a pivot 2.63. The support means 2.61 is, inturn, fixedly attached relative to the wall 2.15 as clearly shown inFIG. 13 whereby the finger 2.59 is pivotally supported relative to thewall 2.15 as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thefinger 2.59 preferably has a tip 2.65 for extending into the slot 2.57of the link member 2.55 of the endless chain 2.51 when the second latchmember 2.53 is in the locked position as clearly shown in FIG. 14 tolock the endless chain 2.51 in place as will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes urging means 2.67 for urging thesecond latch member 2.53 to the unlocked position. The urging means 2.67preferably includes a spring 2.69 for normally holding the finger 2.59in the substantially vertical, unlocked position as shown in FIG. 16.The spring 2.69 may include a typical coil spring having a first end2.71 attached to the end of the finger 2.59 opposite the tip 2.65thereof, and having a second end 2.73 attached relative to the wall 2.15(e.g., indirectly to the wall 2.15 through a portion of the supportmeans 2.61 or the like) whereby the finger 2.59 will be urged to thesubstantially vertical, unlocked position as shown in FIG. 16 and aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 2.11 includes reset means for urging the secondlatch member 2.53 of the lock means 2.49 to the first or locked positionso that the first latch means (i.e., the link member 2.55 of the endlesschain 2.51) so that the first latch means (i.e., the link member 2.55)can be easily and quickly re-locked to the second latch member 2.53 forlocking the endless chain 2.51 in the opened position after the firedoor 2.13 has moved to the closed position when the fire door 2.13 issubsequently moved back to the opened position (i.e., for easily andquickly re-locking the lock means 2.49 after the fire door 2.13 hasmoved to the closed position and has been subsequently re-opened).

The reset means preferably includes holding means for normally holdingthe second latch member 2.53 in the locked position against the force ofthe closure means. The holding means preferably includes a cable meansor cable 2.77 for holding the second latch member 2.53 in the lockedposition when substantially tight and for allowing the second latchmember 2.53 to move to the unlocked position when slack. The cable 2.77has a first end 2.79 for being attached to the finger 2.59 at a positionon the opposite side of the pivot 2.63 from the tip 2.65 (see FIGS. 14and 16), and has a second end 2.81 for being fixedly anchored by, forexample, being attached to the wall 2.15 or the like by an eyebolt E orthe like (see FIGS. 11 and 12) so that when the cable 2.77 is heldsubstantially tight, the force of gravity acting on the endless chain2.51 through the axle A and drive train 2.52 will be overcome and thesecond latch member 2.53 will be held in the locked position as will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art. A plurality of pulleys 2.82 orthe like are preferably provided to control the path of the cable 2.77as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 2.11 preferably includes trigger means forcausing the holding means to release the second latch member 2.53 tothereby allow the second latch member 2.53 to move to the unlockedposition and, in turn, unlock the endless chain 2.51 and allow gravity,etc., to rotate the axle A and force the fire door 2.13 to the closedposition. The trigger means preferably includes a manual release means2.85 mounted, for example, on the support means 2.61 to allow a workerto manually release the holding means by merely putting sufficient slackin the cable 2.77 as indicated by the arrow S in FIG. 16 to allow thefinger 2.59 to pivot to the unlocked position and thereby release theendless chain 2.51 and allow the fire door 2.13 to move to the closedposition as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. The manualrelease means 2.85 may be of various specific construction as will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art such as the Model A1-11-702-20test handle made by Southco Inc. of Concordville, Pa. 19331. Thus, themanual release means 2.85 may include a handle H for being manuallymoved between a lowered or set position as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, anda raised, test position as shown in FIG. 16, and a keeper K or the likefor being operatively coupled to the handle H and the cable 2.77 in sucha manner that movement of the handle H to the raised position will placeslack in the cable 2.77 and movement of the handle H to the loweredposition will remove slack from the cable 2.77 as will now be apparentto those skilled in the art.

The closure reset means 2.11 includes occurrence responsive means forplacing slack in the cable 2.77 in the event of a predeterminedoccurrence. The occurrence responsive means is preferably part of thetrigger means and preferably includes at least one alarm means 2.87 suchas a fuse link means 2.89 for putting slack in the cable 2.77 in theevent of a fire or the like as will now be apparent to those skilled inthe art. The fuse link means 2.89 may include a typical fuse link havinga first end fixedly attached to a first portion of the cable 2.77 andhaving a second end fixedly attached to a second portion of the cable2.77 in a manner so that a loop or the like is formed between the firstand second ends of the fuse link as will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The loop is longer than the fuse link so that if thefuse link melts in the event of a fire or otherwise breaks, etc., theloop will create sufficient slack in the cable 2.77 to allow the finger2.59 to pivot to the unlocked position and thereby release the endlesschain 2.51 and allow the fire door 2.13 to move to the closed positionas will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. The trigger meanspreferably includes a plurality of fuse link means 2.89. Two such fuselink means 2.89 are shown in FIG. 11, one on either side of the wall2.15. However, any number of such fuse link means 2.89 can be combinedwith the cable 2.77 as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The trigger means may also include a linear actuator release means ordevice 2.101 coupled to the cable 2.77 as shown in FIG. 11 for puttingsufficient slack in the cable 2.77 when activated to allow the finger2.59 to pivot to the unlocked position. The linear actuator releasedevice 2.101 preferably includes a typical linear actuator such as theModel 6Z087 linear actuator made by Dayton Electric Mfg., Co. ofChicago, Ill. 60048. A battery backup system (not shown) is preferablycoupled to the linear actuator release device 2.101 to allow operationthereof in the event of power failure. The battery backup system mayinclude a float charger such as Model PSC-12500-F and a battery such asModel PS-1242, both made by Powersonic Corp. of Redwood City, Calif. Atimer (not shown) may be coupled to the linear actuator release device2.101 to activate the linear actuator release device 2.101 at presettimes, etc. The timer may include any typical timer well known to thoseskilled in the art such as the Dayton electronic, 365-day, programmable,2-circuit timer, Stock No. 5A687, manufactured by Dayton Electric Mfg.,Co. of Chicago, lll. 60048. The timer thus allows the fire door 2.13 tobe closed when desired and without requiring an operator by merelyprogramming the timer to activate the release device 2.101 at variousspecific times such as at night, on weekends, during holidays, etc., aswill now be apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be notedthat a single timer could be electrically coupled to a plurality oflinear actuator release devices of a plurality of fire doors so that asingle timer could control a plurality of linear actuator releasedevices as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 2.11 is specifically designed to allow the firedoor 2.13 to be quickly and easily opened and properly reset after atest thereof, etc. Thus, once the fire door 2.13 has been closed by theclosure reset system 2.11 upon the occurrence of a predetermined eventsuch as a test of the closure reset system 2.11 (e.g., after the manualrelease means 2.85 has been activated to test the closure reset systemby merely moving the test handle thereof to the test or openedposition), or after circumstances have activated the alarm means 2.87(e.g., after a fire substantially adjacent a fuse link means 2.89,etc.), or after the linear actuator release device 2.101 has beenactivated, the cable 2.77 is again tightened in a manner which will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art (i.e., by closing the manualrelease means 2.85 by merely moving the test handle thereof back to theset or closed position, replacing or repairing the fuse link means 2.89,or deactivating the release device 2.101, etc.) to cause the finger 2.59of the second latch member 2.53 to move to the locked position (i.e., tourge the finger 2.59 to the position shown in FIG. 14). Then, the firedoor 2.13 can be merely moved to the opened position by, for example,pulling the endless chain 2.51 in the direction of the arrow D and thelink 2.55 of the endless chain 2.51 can be placed onto the tip 2.65 ofthe finger 2.59 to lock the endless chain 2.51 in place to prevent thefire door 2.13 from moving to the closed position as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art.

Operation of the closure reset system 2.11 is quite simple. With thetest-reset means in the set position (e.g., with the handle H of themanual release means 2.85 in the lowered position) and with theoccurrence responsive means in a ready-to-use condition (e.g., with thefuse link means 2.89, etc., in a normal, operation condition as will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art), the cable 2.77 will be heldsubstantially tight or taut, the latch member 2.53 will be held in thesubstantially horizontal, locked position, and with the tip 2.65 of thefinger 2.59 extending into the slot 2.57 of the link member 2.55 of theendless chain 2.51, the fire door 2.13 will be locked in the openedposition. To then test the closure reset system 2.13, a worker need onlymove the handle H of the manual release means 2.85 to the test or raisedposition whereby slack S will be placed in the cable 2.77, allowing theurging means 2.67 to urge the latch member 2.53 of the lock means 2.49to the substantially vertical, unlocked position and, thereby, allowingthe fire door 2.13 to move to the closed position. To then reset theclosure reset system 2.11, the worker need only move the fire door 2.13back to a raised position and move the handle H of the manual releasemeans 2.85 back to the set or lowered position to thereby remove slackfrom the cable 2.77 and, assuming the fuse link means 2.89, etc., are innormal, operation conditions, cause the cable 2.77 to be heldsubstantially tight or taut, thereby locking the fire door 2.13 in theraised position. It should be noted that the urging means 2.67 will holdthe latch member 2.53 in the substantially vertical, unlocked positionuntil the cable 2.77 is substantially tight or taut.

A third preferred embodiment of the closure reset system of the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 17-19 and identified by the numeral 3.11.

The closure reset system 3.11 includes or is designed especially for usein combination with a roll-up fire door 3.13 that is movably mounted ona wall 3.15 for selectively closing an opening 3.17 through the wall3.15. Thus, the fire door 3.13 is movable between an opened position anda closed position relative to the opening 3.17 through the wall 3.15.

The closure reset system 3.11 includes control means for controllingmovement of the fire door 3.13 from an opened position to a closedposition. The control means of the closure reset system 3.11 is movablebetween an opened position and a closed position and the fire door 3.13moves to the closed position when the control means moves to the closedposition.

The control means preferably includes means for mounting the fire door3.13 relative to the wall 3.15 in such a manner so that the fire door3.13 can be moved between the opened and closed position in a controlledmanner. More specifically, the fire door 3.13 may be rotatably mountedon the wall 3.15 by an axle A that is, in turn, rotatably mounted on thewall 3.15 by various support brackets B or the like as clearly shown inFIG. 17 for rotation movement between a closed position and an openedposition to cause the fire door 3.13 to move between a closed positionas shown in FIG. 19 in which the bottom edge 3.14 of the fire door 3.13rests on the floor F or the like with the opening 3.17 through the wall3.15 closed, and an opened position as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 in whichthe bottom edge 3.14 of the fire door 3.13 is positioned above the floorF with the opening 3.17 through the wall 3.15 open, etc., as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art. Various cover members and the likehave been omitted from the drawings for clarity and are not necessaryfor operation of the closure reset system 3.11. A primary function ofthe closure reset system 3.11 is to allow the fire door 3.13 to close inthe event of a fire or during a test of the closure reset system 3.11,and to allow the closure reset system 3.11 to be easily resetthereafter.

The control means ia normally urged to the closed position. Thus, thefire door 3.13 may be designed so that gravity will normally cause thefire door 3.13 to move to the closed position, causing the axle A andrelated mechanisms to moved to a closed position as will now be apparentto those skilled in the art. The control means may include means such asspring means 3.20 coupled to the axle A for controlling the rate atwhich gravity will cause the axle A to rotate from the opened positionto the closed position and, in turn, cause the fire door 3.13 to movefrom the opened position to the closed position. More specifically, thespring means 3.20 is preferably designed and set so as to allow gravityto slowly rotate the axle A and slowly move the fire door 3.13 from theopened position to the closed position to prevent damage to the firedoor 3.13 and/or adjacent structure and to prevent injury to persons orthings within the opening 3.17 when the fire door 3.13 moves from theopened to the closed position as will now be apparent to those skilledin the art. While the spring means 3.20 is shown diagrammatically inFIG. 17 as being mounted between the wall 3.15 and the axle A, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that the spring means 3.20 mightinclude a helical twist spring located inside the axle A, etc. Anopening mechanism including, for example, a cable or chain 3.21 may becoupled to the fire door 3.13 through the axle A, etc., for allowing thefire door 3.13 to be opened as will now be apparent to those skilled inthe art.

The closure reset system 3.11 includes lock means 3.49 for beingpivotally attached relative to the wall 3.15 for movement between alocked position and an unlocked position and for allowing the fire door3.13 to move to the closed position when the lock means 3.49 is in theunlocked position. The lock means 3.49 preferably consists of anelongated bar 3.51 pivotally attached relative to the wall 3.15 by apivot member 3.53 such as a bolt or the like in a position so that theelongated bar 3.51 can pivot between a substantially horizontal, lockedposition as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, and a substantially vertical,unlocked position as shown in FIG. 19. The elongated bar 3.51 has afirst end 3.55 and a second end 3.57 with the pivot member 3.53extending through the elongated bar 3.51 between the first and secondends 3.55, 3.57 as clearly shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. A bracket 3.59 maybe provided for mounting the lock means 3.49 to the wall 3.15, etc.Thus, the bracket 3.59 may be fixedly attached to the wall 3.15 adjacentone upper corner of the opening 3.17 therethrough and the pivot member3.53 may be attached to the bracket 3.59 in any manner now apparent tothose skilled in the art to thereby pivotally attach the elongated bar3.51 to the bracket 3.59 in such a position so that when the elongatedbar 3.51 is in the substantially horizontal, locked position and thefire door 3.13 is in the opened position, at least a portion of thesecond end 3.57 of the elongated bar 3.51 will be positioned directlybeneath a portion of the bottom edge 3.14 of the fire door 3.13 asclearly shown in FIG. 18 to thereby block the fire door 3.13 from movingto the closed position, and so that when the elongated bar 3.51 is inthe substantially vertical, unlocked position, it is out of the path ofthe movement of the fire door 3.13 to allow the fire door 3.13 to movefrom the opened position to the closed position as clearly shown in FIG.19.

The closure reset system 3.11 includes urging means 3.67 for urging thelock means 3.49 to the unlocked position. The urging means 3.67preferably includes a spring 3.69 for normally holding the elongated bar3.51 in the substantially vertical, unlocked position. The spring 3.69may include a typical coil spring having a first end 3.7 attached to theelongated bar 3.51 at a position adjacent the second end 3.57 thereof,and having a second end 3.73 attached relative to the wall 3.15 (e.g.,indirectly to the wall 3.15 through a bracket 3.74 or the like) wherebythe elongated bar 3.51 will be urged to the substantially vertical,unlocked position as shown in FIG. 19 and as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

The reset means preferably includes holding means for normally holdingthe lock means 3.49 in the locked position. The holding means preferablyincludes a cable means or cable 3.77 for normally holding the elongatedbar 3.51 in the substantially horizontal position when substantiallytight and for allowing the elongated bar 3.51 to move to thesubstantially vertical, unlocked position when slack. The cable 3.77 hasa first end 3.79 for being attached to the elongated bar 3.51 adjacentthe first end 3.55 thereof (i.e., on the opposite side of the pivotmember 3.53 from the first end 3.71 of the spring 3.69), and has asecond end 3.81 for being fixedly anchored by, for example, beingattached to the wall 3.15 or the like via an eyebolt E or the like, sothat when the cable 3.77 is held substantially tight, the force of thespring 3.69 will be overcome and the elongated bar 3.51 will be held inthe substantially horizontal, locked position as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Thus, the lock means 3.49 is held in thelocked position when the cable 3.77 is taut while the urging means 3.67will urge the lock means 3.49 to the unlocked position when slack isplaced in the cable 3.77. A plurality of pulleys 3.82 or the like may beattached relative to the wall 3.15, etc., to control the path of thecable 3.77 between the elongated bar 3.51 and the eyebolt E as Will nowbe apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset system 3.11 includes test-reset means for allowing theoperation of the fire door closure reset system 3.11 to be tested byplacing slack in the cable 3.77 and for allowing the slack in the cable3.77 to be subsequently removed after the operation of the fire doorclosure reset system 3.11 is tested to reset the fire door closure resetsystem 3.11. The test-reset means preferably includes a manual releasemeans 3.85 mounted relative to the wall 3.15 through a bracket 3.86 orthe like to allow a worker to manually release the holding means bymerely putting sufficient slack in the cable 3.77 as indicated by thearrow S in FIG. 19 to allow the elongated bar 3.51 to pivot to thesubstantially vertical, unlocked position and thereby allow the firedoor 3.13 to move to the closed position as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. The manual release means 3.85 may be ofvarious specific construction as will now be apparent to those skilledin the art such as the Model A1-11-702-20 test handle made by SouthcoInc. of Concordville, Pa. 19331. Thus, the manual release means 3.85 mayinclude a handle H for being manually moved between a lowered, setposition as shown in FIG. 18 and a raised, test position as shown inFIG. 19, and a keeper K or the like for being operatively coupled to thehandle H and the cable 3.77 in such a manner that movement of the handleH to the raised position will place slack in the cable 3.77 and movementof the handle H to the lowered position will remove slack from the cable3.77 as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The closure reset means 3.11 includes occurrence responsive means forplacing slack in the cable 3.77 in the event of a predeterminedoccurrence. The occurrence responsive means preferably includes fuselink means 3.89 for putting slack in the cable 3.77 in the event of afire or the like as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.Each fuse link means 3.89 may include a typical fuse link having a firstend fixedly attached to a first portion of the cable 3.77 and having asecond end fixedly attached to a second portion of the cable 3.77 in amanner so that a loop or the like is formed between the first and secondends of the fuse link as will now be apparent to those skilled in theart. The loop is longer than the fuse link so that if the fuse linkmelts in the event of a fire or otherwise breaks, etc., the loop willcreate sufficient slack in the cable 3.77 to allow the elongated bar3.51 to pivot to the substantially vertical, unlocked position andthereby allow the fire door 3.13 to move to the closed position as willnow be apparent to those skilled in the art. The occurrence responsivemeans may include a plurality of such fuse link means. For example, theoccurrence responsive means may include two such fuse link means withone mounted on either side of the wall 3.15 adjacent the opening 3.17similar to that disclosed hereinabove relative to the fuse link means2.89 of the closure system 2.11. However, any number of such fuse linkmeans can be combined with the cable 3.77 as will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Further, the occurrence responsive means mayinclude a linear actuator release means or device coupled to the cable3.77 in a manner similar to that disclosed hereinabove relative to thelinear actuator release device 2.101 of the closure system 2.11.

The closure reset system 3.11 preferably includes stop means 3.105 forstopping the elongated bar 3.51 in a substantially horizontal positionwhen the cable 3.77 is substantially tight or taut. The stop means 3.105may include a stop member 3.107 fixedly attached relative to the wall3.15 and the elongated bar 3.51 by way of a bracket 3.109 or the like sothat a portion of one edge of the elongated bar 3.51 will contact aportion of the top edge of the stop member 3.107 when the elongated bar3.51 is substantially horizontal as clearly shown in FIG. 18. Inaddition, the stop means 3.105 may be designed for stopping theelongated bar 3.51 in a substantially horizontal position when slack Sis present in the cable 3.77. Thus, the stop member 3.107 may bepositioned so that a portion of one edge of the elongated bar 3.51 willcontact a portion of the side edge of the stop member 3.107 when theelongated bar 3.51 is substantially vertical as clearly shown in FIG.19.

Operation of the closure reset system 3.11 is quite simple. With firedoor 3.13 in the opened position, with the test-reset means in the setposition (e.g., with the handle H of the manual release means 3.85 inthe lowered position) and with the occurrence responsive means in aready-to-use condition (e.g., with the fuse link means 3.89, etc., in anormal, operation condition as will now be apparent to those skilled inthe art), the cable 3.77 will be held substantially tight or taut, theelongated bar 3.51 will be held in the substantially horizontal, lockedpositions, and the fire door 3.13 will be locked in the opened position.To then test the closure reset system 3.13, a worker need only move thehandle H of the manual release means 3.85 to the test or raised positionwhereby slack S will be placed in the cable 3.77, allowing the urgingmeans 3.67 to urge the elongated bar 3.51 of the lock means 3.49 to thesubstantially vertical, unlocked position and, thereby, allow the firedoor 3.13 to move to the closed position. To then reset the closurereset system 3.11, the worker need only move the fire door 3.13 back tothe raised position and then move the handle H of the manual releasemeans 3.85 back to the set or lowered position to remove slack from thecable 3.77 and, assuming the fuse link means 3.89, etc., are in normal,operating conditions, cause the cable 3.77 to be held substantiallytight or taut, thereby locking the fire door 3.13 in the openedposition. It should be noted that the urging means 3.67 will hold theelongated bar 3.51 in the substantially vertical, unlocked position asthe fire door 3.13 is moved from the closed position back to the openedposition.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated withrespect to preferred embodiments and preferred uses therefor, it is notto be so limited since modifications and changes can be made thereinwhich are within the full intended scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A fire door closure reset system comprising, in combination:a) a fire door movable between an opened position and a closed position relative to an opening through a wall; b) lock means for being pivotally attached relative to the wall for movement between a locked position and an unlocked position and for allowing said fire door to move to said closed position when in the unlocked position; c) urging means for urging said lock means to said unlocked position; d) a cable having a first end for being attached to said lock means and having a second end for being fixedly attached relative to the all; said lock means being held in said locked position when said cable is taut; said urging means urging said lock means to said unlocked position when slack is placed in said cable; e) occurrence responsive means for placing slack in said cable in the event of a predetermined occurrence; and f) test-reset means for allowing the operation of said fire door closure reset system to be tested by placing slack in said cable and for allowing the slack in said cable to be subsequently removed after the operation of said fire door closure reset system is tested to reset said fire door closure reset system; said test-reset means including trigger means, easily movable between a first position and a second position, for placing slack in said cable to allow said urging means to move said lock means to said unlocked position when moved to said first position and for removing slack from said cable and forcing said lock means back to said locked position when moved to said second position.
 2. A fire door closure reset system for a fire door that is movable between an opened position and a closed position relative to an opening through a wall; said closure reset system comprising:a) control means for controlling movement of said fire door from said opened position to said closed position, said control means being movable between an opened position and a closed position; said fire door moving to said closed position when said control means moves to said closed position, said control means being normally urged to said closed position; b) continuous cable means for movement between an opened position and a closed position and for being attached to said control means in such a manner that said control means will be prevented from moving from said opened position to said closed position when said continuous cable means is located in said opened position and in such a manner that said control means will be moved from said closed position to said opened position when said continuous cable means is moved from said closed position to said opened position; c) lock means for locking said continuous cable means in said opened position; said lock means including a first latch means for being fixedly attached relative to said continuous cable means and including a second latch means for being attached relative to said wall; said second latch means having a first position in which said first latch means can be locked thereto for locking said continuous cable means in said opened position and having a second position in which said first latch means is released therefrom for allowing said continuous cable means to be moved to said closed position to allow said control means to be urged to said closed position so that said fire door will move to said closed position; and d) reset means for urging said second latch means of said lock means to said first position so that said first latch means can be easily and quickly re-locked to said second latch means for locking said continuous cable means in said opened position after said fire door has moved to said closed position when said fire door is subsequently moved back to said opened position; said reset means including holding means for holding said second latch means in said first position; said holding means of said reset means including cable means for holding said second latch means in said first position when substantially tight and for allowing said second latch means to move to said second position when slack; said cable means having a first end for being attached to said second latch means and having a second end for being secured relative to said wall.
 3. A fire door closure reset system for a fire door that is movable between an opened position and a closed position; said closure reset system comprising:a) closure means for forcing said fire door to said closed position; said closure means including a closure member movable between an opened position and a closed position; b) lock means having a locked position for locking said closure member of said closure means in said opened position and having an unlocked position for allowing said closure member of said closure means to move to said closed position upon the occurrence of a predetermined event; and c) reset means for easily and quickly re-locking said lock means after said fire door has moved to said closed position and has been subsequently re-opened; said fire door being allowed to remain in said opened position when said closure member is in said opened position and being forced to said closed position when said closure member moves to said closed position; said closure means including urging means for normally urging said closure member to said closed position; said lock means including a first latch member attached to said closure means and a second latch member attached to said wall; said second latch member having a first position in which said first latch member can be locked thereto to hold said closure member in said opened position and having a second position in which said first latch member is released therefrom to allow said closure member to move to said closed position; said closure means including a closure cable for being coupled to said closure member; said closure cable having a first end for being attached to said closure member and having a second end for being coupled to said urging means of said closure means; said closure means including first pulley means mounted relative to said wall on one side of said opening, second pulley means mounted relative to said wall on the other side of said opening, and a continuous cable extending between said first and second pulley means; said continuous cable being coupled to said first end of said closure cable; said closure means including a closure lug attached to said continuous cable for forcing said fire door to said closed position when said closure cable moves to said closed position; said closure means including catch bracket means for being attached to said fire door and for engaging said closure lug when said closure member moves from said opened position to said closed position; said first latch member of said lock means being fixedly attached to said closure member. 